Katsu Burger Lake Stevens — Restaurant in Lake Stevens

I had the: 0) Ohayou Gozaimasu, no mayo.

1. fries w/12 spice addition.
2. Croquette 2pc

The croquette's just tasted slightly sweet w/a slight hint of the oil they were fried in. Temp, outside crunchiness, and smooth/mash inside was fine. It just didn't have any real flavor beyond lightly sweet oil.

The fries were the best thing about the entire endeavor. The 12 spice is initially pretty pleasant. About halfway through my order (I don't know if I specified size and the receipt just indicates "12 spice fries no dipping sauce") the sweetness of the spices became an increasingly annoying component and dominated the flavor profile. I think if they were to cut the sugar by half it would go a long ways to improving this issue.

The burger...I may have to go back for a 'redo'. Although that is a hard pill to swallow since the meal was ~$26 before tip. So the cost of failure, even if just the burger, is not insignificant.

I do not like mayo, mustard, or any of their friends. I do not like sweet pickles nor do I like the mistake that is "bread and butter" pickles. I did ask about the type of pickle beforehand. I confirmed they were not sweet pickles. It did not occur to me that anyone would have so much hate in their hearts for their customers so as to taint their burgers with "bread and butter" pickles. To be fair, these may just simply be "the worst dill pickles on the planet" and not full on "bread and butter". Regardless, they were unpleasant so I removed them after the first bite. However, in that first bite was another 'seriously off' flavor component. Something like allspice/cinnamon...what, to me, potpourri would taste like. Turns out that foulness comes from the tonkatsu sauce. I've had other variants of tonkatsu and it was fine. This stuff is just wrong. I tried to 'push through' the eating of the burger. After the 3rd bite, I just couldn't do it. There's a hint of expected normalcy/goodness wrt to flavors and then there's this disconnected flavor of crushed dreams, lost hope, and death that just lingers. The image shows that there was a bit over 2/3 that had to be trashed.

While a redo might be in order, and I would really like to at least experience the flavor of the fried beef patty, it's probably unrealistic I'm going to chance it again w/out some serious outside momentum (e.g. family friends wanting to try the place).

Overall, I cannot recommend the place. It just wasn't good. The fries were the best thing I tried but they weren't anywhere close to being compelling enough to warrant a trip in and of themselves.

I would recommend getting better tasting food by...

Nice cozy, hole in the wall spot in the heart of uptown Lake Stevens.

I’ve been to Katsu burger in Lynnwood before, many years ago… but I couldn’t remember how the food was to be honest. I must say, I have been pleasantly surprised. It certainly isn’t your typically “American burger”, but that’s not how you can judge this kind of fusion food. It’s in its own category.

I thought the burger was well made (beef katsu was perfectly fresh and crisy and veggies were fresh). The whole burger was a bit large and challenging to eat at first, and the flavors were a little challenging to discern. However, as you continued to eat, you were able pick on the different flavors. Fries were lack luster, and the 12 spice seasoning carried them. Wasabi coleslaw… can’t say I’ve eer had or even heard of such a thing. It was good and fresh, but nothing to write home about. I thought it could use more wasabi flavor, the brightness of the veggies overwhelmed the wasabi flavor.

Service was very pleasant. They’re understaffed, but that didn’t stop from good service.

Atmosphere is cozy and quaint. Little Japanese “cutsie” influence, and I enjoyed slowly eating my meal. Didn’t feel rushed or like I wanted to hurry up and eat to leave.

Overall, I would come back. There were several other burgers that piqued...

The service was amazing. owner Becky . I was talking to and she was an absolute sweetheart and took the time to explain all the dishes..she makes the curry herself says she wint let anyone else make it cuz there is a special technique she looked like mom and possibly daughters working. They were all absolutely so sweet and the food. Oh my god out of this world Highly recommend. The chicken was crispy just like the picture and cooked perfectly Probably could have gotten A better picture but it was absolutely amazing delicious. Next time i'm gonna get the Baja Dori Burger. Well, I went and got the baha dorey burger and it was just as amazing as it looked. I told myself the next one I was gonna try. Is the Bonzai Bites and French Fries so I went today and tried the 12 spice Fries and Bonzai chicken 🫦 bites with Curry Mayonnaise for a side dip and the Nori Ranch omg! Was absolutely delicious. Stop in for my usual chicken bento and Becky as amazing as always turned me onto the croquettes deep fried mashed potato with breading cheese and vegetables 😋 As everything else there delicious highly recommend trying? Thank you, becky for another...